UFC 222 Betting Tips: Cris Cyborg v Yana Kunitskaya Preview

Cris Cyborg and Yana Kunitskaya will battle it out for the women’s featherweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday night. Cyborg is the current champion and a firm favourite with the bookmakers, but Kunitskaya will be determined to upset the odds. Who do you think will come out on top?

How the Bookies See it:

Form

Cyborg has won 19 of her 21 career fights in mixed martial arts, with just one loss and one bout declared a ‘no contest’ following a failed drugs test. She turned in an excellent performance just a couple of months ago to defeat Holly Holm via unanimous decision at UFC 219 and defend the title she claimed with a TKO victory over Tonya Evinger last July.

Kunitskaya has never previously competed in UFC, but she is still an experienced mixed martial artist and has a career record of 10 wins, one loss and one ‘no contest’. Nicknamed ‘Foxy’, the 28-year-old is a former bantamweight champion in Invicta FC following a victory over Raquel Pa’aluhi.

Sports.net’s View

Kunitskaya is making her debut in UFC and admits that she is facing ‘the best women’s fighter in MMA history’, but odds of around 9/1 will tempt many punters to consider as flutter on the Russian underdog. She is a very exciting prospect and was utterly dominant when she defeated Raquel Pa’aluhi in Invicta FC last year, getting the better of her opponent in all departments.

She could certainly give Cyborg a scare and if she is given the opportunity to unfurl her full armoury of kicks or bring her favoured armbar technique into play, then a major shock could be on the cards. However, Cyborg is surely too accomplished a fighter to be caught off guard and the main danger could be complacency. Cyborg, 32, will be feeling sharp after her stunning success against Holm in December and only appears to be getting better. She has claimed 16 knockouts in 19 wins and, against a relatively untested fighter at this level, will be eyeing up another early finish.

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